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Tennessee climate

With the Great Smoky Mountains in the east, the central plateau, and the Mississippi bottomlands in the west, Tennessee has a varied climate. Overall, summers are hot and sticky, even in the Smokies, and temperatures in the 30s (Celsius) are the norm. Winters are mild and wet. Snow falls across the state but melts quickly except in the mountains. Spring and fall usually have mild days with low humidity.The Smokies have enough snowfall for winter sports. The highest points can be ten to 15 degrees cooler than the lowlands, and winter temperatures can drop below zero.

Getting around Tennessee

Unless you are staying in a city, you will need a car in Tennessee. Eastern Tennessee is mostly rural and the best way around the region and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is by car. (In summer make sure to carry extra coolant and brake fluid.) Cycling is also popular as is hiking in the the Smokies.

There is bus service to major towns and cities, but service to smaller towns, particularly in the east, is difficult to find. Flights between Memphis and Nashville tend to be pricey, as do cruises on the Mississippi riverboats.

Both Memphis and Nashville have walkable downtown areas and public transportation. Graceland can be reached by bus from Memphis. The city also has taxis, and driving is an option. Parking is generally available in Memphis, but there can be lots of congestion on east-west streets and during rush hour. Nashville also has the free LunchLINE shuttle that loops around downtown and several points of interest. River taxis run between Nashville and Music Valley and Opryland.

What is good to know if travelling to Tennessee?

• The state capital Nashville is known as the “home of country music” and is also where The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is located.
• The Grand Ole Opry – the world’s longest continuously running live radio program – has been broadcast from Nashville every weekend since 1925.
• The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in 1968. The museum chronicles important episodes of the civil rights movement.
• Lookout Mountain, close to downtown Chattanooga, is a must-visit attraction. On top of the mountain are rock formations, gardens with more than 400 native plant species and views of seven states. Inside the mountain is the Ruby Falls, a 145-foot waterfall.
• Take a ride along “America’s Most Amazing Mile” in a trolley-style railcar. The Incline Railway is said to be the “steepest passenger railway in the world”.
• Davy Crockett, the 19^th-century folk hero and “King of the Wild Frontier,” was born in Tennessee and served the state as a congressman before going to Texas where he died defending the Alamo. The State Park in Lawrence County is named after Crockett and offers camping, fishing and hiking and cycling trails.
• Tennessee is also the birthplace of The King. Graceland, Elvis’s 14-acre estate in Memphis, is one of America’s most popular tourist attractions.
• The Great Smoky Mountains National Park takes in North Carolina as well as Tennessee. The mountains are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. It is a World Heritage Site since 1983.
• The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest takes place in Memphis each May. The Super Bowl of Swine as it is known attracts more than 90,000 people each year.